Logo or no-go: Can Warwick’s rebrand fulfil its promise to move us ‘beyond’?

In 2015, Warwick’s rebrand to a version of the logo we all know and (perhaps) love was highly controversial. The “aubergine” ‘W’ logo, a kind of hazy, ombre-looking mess going from yellow to purple to blue, isn’t totally unfamiliar – though thankfully most traces are gone.

What we have now is simple and understated: it’s two purple triangles that cost £80,000 to design and consult, let alone to implement. Is the rebrand to the ‘Modernised Crest’ concept a sign of an overall move away from minimalist trends, or is Warwick breaking new ground with these changes? Is the ‘crest’ format (ala Oxbridge) another cheap attempt at manufacturing a greater history for ourselves, or have we earnt a little pomp and grandeur?

While the original logo elicited history we don’t have, and undercut pride in our modernity, the more modern ‘W’ logo adopted in 2015 is an underwhelming, uninspiring, minimalist logo that doesn’t scream ‘university institution’

Warwick’s three (ish) former logos are all rather unimaginative. The original ‘University of Warwick’ with the elongated ‘R’ can still be seen around campus, largely on the side of rubbish bins and the occasional work vehicle. Sometimes used alongside the ‘ceremonial crest’, the old logo screams tradition – something a university founded in 1965 can only artificially manufacture. As a Boar commenter put it ten years ago: “The [‘W’] logo reflects a young modern institution, not one heaped in tradition and history. And that is exactly what Warwick is.”

This optimism wasn’t widespread, however, with a petition against the change garnering over 4000 signatures. Other Boar commenters labelled the new logo ‘amateur’, ‘appalling’, and ‘not fit for purpose’. I’m inclined to agree. While the original logo elicited history we don’t have, and undercut pride in our modernity, the more modern ‘W’ logo adopted in 2015 is an underwhelming, uninspiring, minimalist logo that doesn’t scream ‘university institution’. It also doesn’t stand out amongst other higher education institutions or serve much purpose beyond being more simple to replicate digitally. Though this only served to make the previous £80,000 logo design investment more infuriating; since, as one Boar commenter was keen to point out, the ‘aubergine’ iteration was not fit for black-and-white-photocopying purposes.

People are averse to change, but we already knew that. People don’t like the thing they thought represented something to suddenly change into something else. They find it confusing, disorienting, hard to navigate, and mostly unnecessary. A loud percentage of people particularly don’t seem to like when these changes move toward minimalism.

The University should be equally proud of its connections to Warwickshire and Coventry, this is reflected in the new ceremonial, modernised crest by the equal proportion given to the Warwickshire bear and Coventry elephant

Minimalism seems to have become synonymous with corporate soullessness and maximalism with artistic creativity and uniqueness. So is Warwick’s Brand Evolution Project going to move us ‘beyond’ the trappings of ‘W’ logo corporate minimalism we’re currently stuck in?

How will the ‘Modernised Crest’ live up to the demands of the student publication? It may not have faced very stiff competition, but I do like the concept, and 61% of internal respondents agreed. The lone bear logo and unshackled bear within an oval that said ‘mind moves matter’ (apparently the university motto) weren’t reasonable alternatives. The latter offered mixed messaging, what with it not actually saying the name of the university and all. Whoever decided that the bear, unshackled or otherwise, could be the central – or sole – theme of the university’s logo moving forward was perhaps again trying to manufacture a connection to tradition that just isn’t that strong.

Yes, the shackled bear is on the ceremonial crest, but should the heraldic emblem of the Earldom of Warwick really bear sole representative responsibilities for our modern university? The shackled bear is also on the flag of Warwickshire, within which the university doesn’t even entirely sit, since the campus is split down the middle by the county line. The University should be equally proud of its connections to Warwickshire and Coventry, this is reflected in the new ceremonial, modernised crest by the equal proportion given to the Warwickshire bear and Coventry elephant.

Removing the Latin banner and slogan from the crest also reflects the modernity that is intrinsic to our university and not something we should be looking to cover with uninspiring attempts at manufacturing tradition and history

Other changes from the ceremonial crest include replacing one of the two former atom symbols with a book, intended to place equal weighting on the university’s pride in its STEM and humanities programs. The full ceremonial crest features a book atop the typical shield, as well as a banner reading ‘Universitas Warwicensis’ and is overly crowded and detailed. The modernised version retains key principles of the design, such as the DNA strand, a nod to the ground-breaking research institutions at the university. The bear is, of course, unshackled, and both animals face the other way. This symbolises a new, forward-thinking way of looking at our tradition and history. Removing the Latin banner and slogan from the crest also reflects the modernity that is intrinsic to our university and not something we should be looking to cover with uninspiring attempts at manufacturing tradition and history.

The choice to simplify the crest, now to be used only in black and white or lilac, is an example of minimalist principles done well. The modernised crest is sleek, and easy to follow, while still necessarily complex, unifying the many aspects of our institution’s identity. It looks like a university logo, and, more importantly, it looks like a University of Warwick logo. It’s a shame that’s my primary qualifier in what makes a good logo for the university, but it was inevitable given the weak competition.

It’s worth bearing in mind the University’s Market Testing Results recorded 10,000 ‘opinions’ in the consultation stages. This is just one of them.